[EnglishJW]

Originally Posted by xkeowner

I have lived overseas in countries with roundabouts for ten years of my life and they are a significantly more effective method to keep traffic moving versus stop lights/signs.

My thoughts exactly. How about these classic examples:

http://www.dvice.com/sites/dvice/fil...detriomphe.jpg



http://www.jaunted.com/files/14943/r...umnomocars.jpg

[kittygilchrist]

Originally Posted by ajbrown

Your description makes perfect sense. You are describing someone entering the roundabout at 12:00 in a dangerous fashion maybe? They must give you room to pass the enter point knowing you may turn right.

I have not experienced that often (if at all). I look at it this way, if I have room to safely exit the round about from the left lane, no one will get to my blind spot. They cannot be that close or I could not safely exit for fear of right hooking them.

I merge to the right lane as soon as I am out of the roundabout. Truth be told I make my intentions pretty clear on my way OUT of the roundabout which is bending the "best practice", but IMO safer .

Ya know, I was navigating roundabouts this evening and wondered if you might be edging over to the right simultaneously with the exit, thus keeping the oncoming traffic from 12 oclock in view as you shift lanes and behind you in the same lane when done...

Good. Seeing eye to eye, we are. Thanks for a sincere and intelligent discourse.

[kittygilchrist]

Originally Posted by rdhdleo

Excellent! I totally agree! I always use turn signals also so others that may not be paying attention know what my intentions are! Alas turn signal use around here is almost none existent!, but that's another subject

I have a question about turn signals. If you are entering the circle and wanting to turn left at the third exit, do you turn on your left turn signal when entering the circle?

[CFrance]

Originally Posted by kittygilchrist

I have a question about turn signals. If you are entering the circle and wanting to turn left at the third exit, do you turn on your left turn signal when entering the circle?

SEE?????????? How freaking confusing these roundabouts are!

[DougB]

Women drivers, sheesh!

[kittygilchrist]

Originally Posted by CFrance

SEE?????????? How freaking confusing these roundabouts are!

LOL. You're the dearest, CF. You've got your dander up as we Southerners say.

[CFrance]

Originally Posted by kittygilchrist

LOL. You're the dearest, CF. You've got your dander up as we Southerners say.

You bet! One of my buttons, along with certain BPs.

[2BNTV]

Originally Posted by CFrance

I'll tell ya who's at fault--the idiots who decided on roundabouts! I'm with Bonanza. I don't care what the studies show, this is not a safe area (elderly drivers, people not used to roundabouts who can't figure out the signs, crowded streets in the winter) to have roundabouts, much less two-lane roundabouts. A stop sign or traffic light every so often on BV and Morse would suffice.

When in the left lane going to the third exit in a roundabout, I am looking for someone on my right, to see what they are doing. If they are parallel to me, and won't let me turn right, then I go around the roundabout until it is clear.

It that makes sense!!!

[dbussone]

Originally Posted by slipcovers

The roundabouts should be 1 lane. All turns are right hand turns on a roundabout. HELLO

You should try the 4 lane rotaries in the Boston area...at a pulse pounding 45 mph.

[Skybo]

Originally Posted by kittygilchrist

So you are in the proper lane, the inside lane. As you approach the 3rd exit, you see that the inside lane carries you to the visitor gate. But you are a resident. How can you change lanes against traffic that may be merging behind you?

You don't have to change lanes, residents can use either gate, that's why there is a card reader on both sides of an unmanned gate. If you are exiting from the inside lane you should enter through the left gate, even if you are a resident. The visitor/resident signage is to encourage contractors and other visitors to enter through the left gate so that both lanes aren't backed up with "button pushers" .

I don't understand all of the over-thinking that goes on in roundabout threads. I find them very easy to safely maneuver. Even when you encounter someone who isn't doing it right, if you go slow, use your blinkers and drive defensively, there's little chance of an accident. And even if there is an accident, it's usually a low speed fender bender.

[kittygilchrist]

Originally Posted by Skybo

You don't have to change lanes, residents can use either gate, that's why there is a card reader on both sides of an unmanned gate. If you are exiting from the inside lane you should enter through the left gate, even if you are a resident. The visitor/resident signage is to encourage contractors and other visitors to enter through the left gate so that both lanes aren't backed up with "button pushers" .

I don't understand all of the over-thinking that goes on in roundabout threads. I find them very easy to safely maneuver. Even when you encounter someone who isn't doing it right, if you go slow, use your blinkers and drive defensively, there's little chance of an accident. And even if there is an accident, it's usually a low speed fender bender.

Sky, why did Socrates ask questions to which he knew the answer? If you read to the end of the OP, you'll find that I said exactly what you did: USE THE VISITOR GATE!

[Skybo]

Originally Posted by kittygilchrist

Sky, why did Socrates ask questions to which he knew the answer? If you read to the end of the OP, you'll find that I said exactly what you did: USE THE VISITOR GATE!

Oops, sorry, I didn't realize that we were philosophizing about roundabouts. I did read the entire thread before I posted (as I always try to do). And I did read your post where you said that you use the left lane for safety and convenience. Even so, I mistakenly thought that you thought residents were supposed to enter through the right hand side. I didn't realize that you were asking a question that you already knew the answer to. Hopefully, this thread hasn't added even more confusion to those who are concerned about navigating roundabouts.

[Dr Winston O Boogie jr]

Sorry, but this is not a problem. Take a look at the diagrams and you'll see that as you're exiting the roundabout and moving onto the road with the visitors gate, there is a broken line. That broken line tells you that you are allowed to change lanes. I do it all the time going from Morse onto O'Dell Circle. It's no big deal. You just have to check your right hand rear view mirror to make sure no on is in the right hand lane. I always do this well in advance of approaching the exit and then again as I am changing lanes.

[Dr Winston O Boogie jr]

I think that one of the problems that people have with the roudabouts is that they think of them in terms of an intersection. Try thinking about them as a continuation of the road that you're on with a bend in it. You simply have to be aware of the other cars around you and be aware whether they are aware of you or not.

And for the people who think that they should all be one lane, imagine all the problems with cars merging from two lanes into one. That would be far worse than what we have now. Roundabouts are a safe and efficient way of handling the many intersection we have on our main roads.

[Bonanza]

Originally Posted by LndLocked

I shutter at the thought of the unmitigated horror that would be stop signs on BVB or Morse

Well, what did you have before you moved to TV???
You had traffic lights and stop signs!
I guarantee you had fewer accidents then than you do now.
Furthermore, at least everyone knew what to do; they had to stop!